UK Supreme Court rules Heathrow airport third runway can proceed

Heathrow’s controversial third runway can proceed, the UK’s Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday, reigniting a debate about airport capacity as the government seeks to meet increasingly ambitious climate change targets. The UK’s top court ruled that the government had acted lawfully in its decision to favour a third runway at Heathrow and had taken proper account of the UK's commitments as represented in the 2016 Paris agreement on climate change, when deciding whether to build a new runway. The Supreme Court had been asked to consider whether the government had acted lawfully in drawing up its Airports National Policy Statement, which covers future airport capacity in the south-east and favours a third runway at Heathrow. The top court had been asked to consider whether the government had taken proper account of the Paris agreement, which sets targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, in its decision-making. Handing down the court’s decision, Lord Philip Sales, a Supreme Court justice, said the government had properly taken the Paris agreement into account. “The national policy statement is not affected by any unlawfulness and is valid,” he said. The ruling means that Heathrow is now entitled to apply for planning permission for its third runway. However, the government will still have to make the final decision on whether to allow the project, after any planning process — including a full planning inquiry — is complete. Heathrow welcomed the decision as “the right result for the country” but did not give any indication as to when it would proceed to the next stage of the planning process. Story has more. <br/>